Disclaimer Kuroko no Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki-sensei

Trigger warning! Please read the first chapter.


His day did not start good. He woke up armed with a mere two hours of sleep again. Before going to bed, Aomine checked his forum (blondie's words, not his) to scrounge some positivity. Not that he needed to try hard. It was quite surprising that the forum was actually dominated with supportive fans. There are indeed haters lingering but his supporters were quick to bash them back. He was quite sure that his fans in the forum aren't aware that he was reading them well maybe aside from a hyperactive blond but they still sent him encouraging words and it did help him greatly. After the effect of his first visit, which was an actual acceptable amount of sleep, Aomine hoped that they'd have the same effect this time. Sadly, he was mistaken. The panic attack yesterday hit him harder than he thought it seems.

His night was again plagued with memories of anguish and non-existent second chances along with missed opportunities. The worst nightmares were the one where he can't speak knowing he was running out of time. The one's where he finally have the words he failed to say only to lose his voice. He was stuck in that loop. Watching that person look at him with a patient smile filled with love and understanding. How he wanted to convey it back to that person but Aomine was not good with words and he can't show it through actions because he was running out of time. So he supposed he was stuck with words and yet even that failed him. He failed that person.

His phone buzzed indicating a message and he can't help the small smile that bloomed in his face as he saw the sender. The blond simply texted him the details of their meet-up last night before bidding himself good night. Aomine didn't bother to prolong their conversation because they both were probably tired from last night's mishap. Apparently, the blond has regained full cheer this morning.

To Aominecchi

From Blondie

[Good morning, Aominecchi~ (ノ´ヮ`)ノ*: ・゚

You're probably still asleep, aren't you? (¬_¬ ) I'll get angry again if you're late on our date!]

Aomine can see that the blond made full use of his discovery of kaomojis. He chuckled as he sent his reply.

To Blondie

From Aomine

[I am very much awake, sori to disappoint. I see dat ur finally with the 20th century, blondie]

He grabbed his meds and gulped them down with water before heading to shower. When he came out, he saw that blondie replied. Several times, in fact.

To Aominecchi

From Blondie

[Meanie, Aominecchi! ..・ヾ(。><)シ

I told you I'm just not that familiar with them! But I am now!

See? (*ノ∀`*) ]

To Aominecchi

From Blondie

[aominecchi? Are you still there?

Did you go back to sleep? ( ̄ρ ̄)..zzZZ ]

To Aominecchi

From Blondie

[Come on. I'm not angry. Are you? Σ(°△°|||)︴Just reply?]

To Aominecchi

From Blondie

[Aominecchi? \(º □ º l|l)/]

There were five remaining unread messages before he stopped reading and just reply instead. He suspected that the rest would be under the same tone.

To Blondie

From Aomine

[Just came out from the shower.

I'm not angry, blondie. No need to flood my phone.]

To Aominecchi

From Blondie

[oh. Right. Now, I'm embarrassed with myself.

See you soon, Aominecchi. Don't skip breakfast!]


The two of them were supposed to meet at eleven in the morning at the west exit of the station and Aomine was running late. His watch read past two in the afternoon which meant that the blond has been waiting for him for more than three hours already.

He did text the blond that he'll be a little late and he's sure that three hours can't be considered little. He purposely didn't tell the reason for his delay no matter how much the blond pestered him. How could he possibly tell him that he was late because got stuck playing a good citizen. Aomine gave an inward sigh as he remembered the past three hours.


He left the house at nine in the morning after a good breakfast at the café in his neighbourhood. He got down the bus, ready to walk the rest to the station. In the next street though a boy, probably aged five, who was crying in the corner of the street who suddenly grabbed his shirt. And proceeded to tell him how he was lost and he needed to find his mommy in a garbled way of talking full of snot and tears. In any other day, he would've asked someone else to take care of it but the kid won't let go of his shirt and people were throwing him with distrusting looks.

"Okay, fine. Look, kid. Stop crying," he tried to calmly tell the kid squatting down so they were the same height.

"You're a big boy, right. Big boys shouldn't cry." At his words, the bot finally stopped crying but he still won't let go of Aomine's shirt.

He took the kid to the nearest police station enduring the stares all the way from having a snotty kid clutching at his side. The police then wouldn't allow him to leave until the guardian of the kid arrived. He then spent almost a full ten minutes listening to the mother thank him. He even had to sign some autographs for the policemen which turn out that a number of them were fans. Thanks to his forum (still blondie's words, not his), he now had a better appreciation of his fans.

As if to add to his misfortune, a pregnant woman also grabbed his shirt as he passed her and asked for help to the hospital. (Aomine then swore at that moment, he was going to burn the shirt as soon as he arrived home.) Of course, this time he can't possibly give the task to simply anyone. He then flagged a taxi and ordered him to drive them to the nearest hospital.

To his horror, the taxi driver even congratulated him for being a soon-to-be father. "No! no," he tried to protest calmly wincing as the woman clutched his arm painfully as a contraction hit her. "I'm not the father. Just helping her to the hospital. Its my good deed for the day," he said jokingly.

Seriously, did his sign have the worst luck today or something. Aomine was almost tempted to call Midorima to ask what his lucky item was. And any situation that pushed him to call his horoscope freak ex-teammate was definitely not good news.

The woman was immediately taken to the emergency room and Aomine was once again stuck to waiting for the husband to arrive. He was ready to bolt when the man finally arrived but the man was star-strucked with him. Aomine inwardly sighed. Oh man, was it really a good thing that I decided to be nicer to my fans? He grabbed a paper from the reception and hurriedly scribbled his autograph and gave it to the man.


His mood was evidently down by the time he exited the train and adding to it was his throbbing knee. Upon arriving at the meeting place, he immediately saw the blond but any humour he might have left evaporated with what he witnessed. The blond was currently being harassed by two punks. Getting closer, he scowled even more.

"Come now, beautiful," crooned a punk that was lingering around the blond. "Your date obviously left you."

"I told you. I am waiting for someone," replied the blond impatience in his tone.

When the other punk tried to touch his blond friend, Aomine lost it. He grabbed blondie and pushed him to his back.

"Scram now, punks. Or I'll smash your heads together," Aomine snarled at the pair. It was a good thing that they were thinking correctly, had they stayed a second longer Aomine would've made true to his promise.

Aomine was still thrumming with anger and an emotion he can't place when he felt a hesitant touch at his shirt. This time the touch was welcome.

"Aominecchi." Just like his touch, the blond was also hesitant in calling his name. "I'm sorry."

Aomine frowned. "Why are you apologizing? I should be the one to apologize," he replied angrily. Seeing the blond flinch, he schooled his expression.

"Its just –" the blond timidly started. Aomine was surprised with this side of the blond. He was acting unsure and scared. Aomine's stomach plummeted. He hated this. To be the one to cause this effervescent blond to be scared.

"Hey," Aomine gently crooned trying to reach out for the blond. He slowly brushed his hands to the blond's face and tilted it up to meet his eyes. The amber pools were indeed scared and Aomine knew then that the blond, despite his happy persona, also has demons that haunted his nights.

"Its alright. I'm not angry. Not at you. Never at you," Aomine continued his gentle tone looking at the blond's eyes. *

"Come on." He pulled the blond gently and took him to the nearest café. The café was a quaint and comfy place with the familiar aroma of coffee wafting around them. Aomine took the blond towards one of the more secluded booths of the café and sat him down.

It was clear that the blond was still a little shaken with the encounter. He took the liberty to order tea for the blond to help him calm down somehow along with lunch for the two of them. When their orders arrived and the blond was able to take a sip from his drink, he finally focused on Aomine.

"So what's that about?" Aomine asked the blond, without finesse but the touch of gentleness was still there.

The blond took a deep breath before starting, "Its –its just I've always caused trouble to people because of my looks. Ever since I was a kid. So I didn't want to –you know."

"In my time, my face isn't exactly well liked. They," the blond paused as he took a shuddering breath try to calm himself down. "People. Even my parents doesn't think that my face suit me. I'm not into beauty, you see. They say I'm not cut from the same mold because I don't follow the norms."

"What do you mean? Don't follow the norms?" Aomine was scowling now. "My face doesn't suit my interests. Its my brain. Rather my memory. I have a photographic one and I've pursued a career using it rather than my face."

"My family is well known in that industry after all," the blond ended with a knot on his forehead while looking down.

Aomine frowned. He did not see the problem. So what if blondie was smarter than others and decided to use his head rather than his pretty face but it obviously bothered his friend. It seemed like his esteem took a hit from the constant disapproval and this, Aomine realized, was the demons the blond fought behind the cheerful façade.

"Well, that means you're smart who cares if you don't what to be a stereotypical blond," Aomine scolded. He wasn't angry at the blond but at his circumstances the people who made this peppy effervescent person who looked at the world with all the wonder and happiness only a pure kid can.

"In case your family wasn't informed, the 20th century prefers brains before beauty, you know. Seriously, I'm starting to doubt wherever it is that you came from. They seemed to be full of bullshit. They might be simply jealous 'cause you're the full package. Beauty and brains," Aomine stated as a matter-of-factly.

"You –you think, I'm beautiful?" the blond asked apprehensively. Aomine was unsure but did he detect hope in the blond's voice? Shaking his head internally, he blushed and not for the first time did he thank of his dark complexion. It seemed the blond missed the entire point of his monologue.

"Well, its not like you don't know it already." He averted his gaze from the prying amber orbs. "But, Aominecchi has never indicated that he thinks so."

"Stupid blondie! I don't have to spell it out for you, you know," Aomine cried in defense. "Maybe, I was wrong after all. You're all face and nothing of the brains."

"Ehhhh! Aominecchi is being mean again! Just when I thought you were so nice for trying to comfort me," blonde loudly protested. Aomine internally smiled. It seemed like his pep talk worked after all. The blond was back to his high spirits.

"Shut up, blondie. Just dig in. I don't know about you but I'm starving." Aomine focused his attention on the lunch he ordered earlier. His endeavours (read misfortunes) from the morning were more than enough to burn his hearty breakfast.

He saw the blond pout before diving into his own lunch. As they were in the middle of the meal, the blond finally remembered the root of the earlier commotion. "Why were you late, Aominecchi?"

Aomine visibly gulped. He really didn't want to tell him the events of his morning. "Really sorry about that but I'm here now so let's not think about it, okay?"

"No, Aominecchi. You already owe me this date and you even had the gall to make me wait!" The signature pout was back at the blond's face. "I'm sorry. As an apology lunch's on me. And I'm all yours now so don't sweat the small stuff," Aomine replied dismissively.

Aomine stood up first and gestured the blond to do the same. "Let's go. We have the rest of the day to do your shopping." Without waiting whether the blond was following, Aomine went out of the café. He winced as he limped slightly when felt his injury throb again. He only hoped the blond did not see his slip.

"Come on, Aominecchi! You owe me an explanation! And I changed my mind. I don't want to go shopping anymore." He heard the blond say as he caught up to him. "Where to, then?" still ignoring the blond's insistence on him to give up information.

"I want to go there," pointed the blond to something across the street. Following the blond's fingers, he saw him point to a massage parlor. "I want to have a relaxing afternoon, instead."


"Isn't this too girly, blondie?"Aomine asked disgruntledly. Of all things the blond could have asked why such a feminine activity. "Aominecchi, you owe me remember. And I haven't given up on extracting information from you." He decided to quietly follow the blond, anything but making him tell about his morning.

They got inside the establishment and Aomine was pleased with the place. The atmosphere was cozy and the décor was tasty with pastel colors that gave a welcoming feel. When the blond asked for a full body massage and tried to discreetly ask the staff to give Aomine a special on his calf and his knee, he knew he failed in hiding his limp earlier.

Seriously, blondie just can't mind his own business. Aomine was a little embarrassed with himself for making the blond to go out of his way for him but he was also thankful to him. The weather has not been kind to his injury. The cold 'caused his pains to come more often and he was advised not to rely too much on painkillers.

The two of them were comfortably placed in the massage room with a curtain separating them. They were both given a masseur, probably arranged by the blond. Aomine relaxed closing his eyes as he listened to the blond's chatter as he talked with his masseur until he drifted to sleep.


Despite his initial reluctance, Aomine did enjoy the experience. He really felt relaxed and the treatment to his calf and knee did wonders to his injury. The last part of their package was the massage chair. The two of them were side by side the comfy chair feeling the relaxing vibrations throughout their body.

Aomine was about to drift to sleep again when the blond piped up beside him. "So, Aominecchi care to tell me why you were late now?"

He sighed. He should've known distracting the blond wouldn't be that easy. He leaned back to the chair finding a better position and recounted the tale to the blond. By the time he finished his story, Aomine was prepared to be laughed at by his companion. To his surprise, the blond merely gave him a serene smile.

"You really are a nice person, Aominecchi," declared the blond meeting Aomine's eyes to show his sincerity as the former turned off the equipment. "Maybe you should try the police force."

"Police force?" asked Aomine puzzled. "Yeah as an option. If you decide not to go back to the big league." The blond's reply startled him. If it had been any person, Aomine might have taken offense with the statement but the blond's words were plain and without craft. And the way he phrased as if Aomine actually had a choice instead of an ultimatum was very much appreciated by the basketball player.

It seemed like the blond did not expect a reply as they both let the silence seep between them leaving each other to their own thoughts. Aomine simply let the idea sink in his mind.


Aomine was laying on his bed that night as he looked back to his day. Spending his day with the blond always left him thinking and feeling a lot. Just days before, Aomine was ready to let go of everything. He was ready to run away from all the heavy feelings that suffocated him. He didn't know who sent the blond to his way but he was infinitely grateful. The blond allowed him to be thankful for his everyday again.

After browsing his forum, Aomine made a decision to let the blond finally know who Aomine Daiki really is. He thought it was only fair because the blond did not hesitate to trust him by sharing to him his fears. With a plan in mind, he sent a message to the blond before drifting to sleep.

To Blondie

From Aomine

[meet me at the station tomorrow. 3pm. i want u to meet someone]


*internal debate! I want them to kiss so badly here but the dummy author does not know how to write a kissing scene without the author's mind going into the gutter! No, honestly I just can't write a kiss scene well. I dread the time Amend** reach that stage.

**spoiler alert! Tentative title for the next instalment of Anomaly. Do check it out

Ao playing a good citizen is probably my favorite scene in the whole fic.

side note: did you watch the NBA All Star 2018? I was totally rooting for Klay on the threes but still congratulations to ! Mitchell's perfect score dunk was awesome! So excited for the game tomorrow. I hope to watch it live someday~